ROUNDS 11 & 12 – PORTO, PORTUGAL RACE 1 REPORT
Weather: sunny, with a dry track.
RACE 1: THREE OF A KIND FOR CHEVROLET
Chevrolet turned their 1-2-3 qualifying into a 1-2-3 on the
podium. Alain Menu led the field for the entire race - which
included six laps behind the safety car – and came home
victorious, followed by Rob Huff and Nicola Larini.
Off the line Huff and Menu were side by side but the Swiss
man held his position. Gabriele Tarquini of SEAT Sport overtook
Tom Coronel for fourth position. Augusto Farfus from BWM Team
Germany overtook James Thompson’s Alfa Romeo 156 for
ninth and the pair had a brief battle before Farfus pulled
away. On the same lap the Brazilian sent Alex Zanardi’s
car into a spin at turn 11. Zanardi rejoined and eventually
finished 16th.
Lap 2 saw a pile-up involving a handful of Independents.
Emmet O’Brien crashed into the tyres at turn 13 and
as Sergio Hernández came around the corner he ploughed
into the Irishman’s green machine. With two cars blocking
the track Roberto Colciago too crashed into them and had to
retire. Maurizio Ceresoli and Miguel Freitas narrowly avoided
race-ending damage.
The safety car was out for six laps as the cars were removed.
On the restart Menu and Huff got away cleanly but Larini’s
acceleration wasn’t as successful, therefore he had
to defend from Tarquini through several corners. On the same
lap Olivier Tielemans crashed at turn 10 and stopped at the
side of the track. Jörg Müller also had a mishap;
at the chicane on lap 11 he hit the exit but no serious damage
was done and he continued to cross the line eighth to claim
pole position for Race 2. Fellow BMW driver Andy Priaulx will
line up alongside him after passing the chequered flag seventh.
On the final lap Yvan Muller successfully overtook Tom Coronel
to secure fifth. The winner of the Independents’ category
was Stefano D’Aste of Wiechers-Sport who was classified
11th overall, ahead of Michel Jourdain and Independents’
Trophy leader Pierre-Yves Corthals. Race 2 will start at 16.35
local time.
BULLET NEWS WARM UP: CORONEL WAKES THE FIELD UP
Coronel set a 2:08.282 in the warm-up which was the fastest
of the session. Zanardi was second quickest ahead of independent
D’Aste. Pole-man Menu only completed three laps and
posted the eighth best time, his team-mate Larini stopped
after only one lap with gear lever problems.
Three Spaniards all obtained damaged to their cars crashing
into the barriers: Gené at the exit of the chicane,
Porteiro at Turn 3 and Hernández.
ENGINE CHANGE FOR COLCIAGO AND TIELEMANS
Roberto Colciago and Olivier Tielemans were demoted ten positions
on the grid for Race 1 due to engine changes.
Colciago – whose engine was damaged in the accident
at the end of the qualifying – slipped from 11th to
21st; Tielemans, who had qualified in 22nd position, lined
up at the back of the grid.
THEY SAID, THEY SAID…
Alain MENU
“So far it’s been a fantastic day for Chevrolet.
It doesn’t get any better than a 1-2-3. The season has
been a good one so far but unlucky too. There have been times
when I have chosen to lose out on points to avoid ballast
and times when I have missed out on points I wanted. Hopefully
I can get a point or two from the second race but as always;
I’ll take it as it comes.”
Robert HUFF
“The best weekend of the season so far for
me. Having a top three is the icing on the cake with cherries
on top and I dedicate my result to my team who have worked
so hard. The three of us managed the race well between ourselves
and we knew we could drive consistently without worrying one
of us would do something stupid.”
Nicola LARINI
“I’m pleased with this result. This kind of track
is great for the Chevrolet cars because we are better than
the rest. For Race 2 it will be maximum attack because I want
to score as many points as possible.”
Stefano D’ASTE
“The car was very quick in the corners and I was faster
than Thompson’s Alfa Romeo but I thought it was better
not to risk overtaking because I knew I was leading the Independents’
race and the points are more important. I dedicate this win
to my sister because it was her birthday yesterday.”
Gabriele TARQUINI
“The car was very good in the slow parts of the track
but unfortunately for me I was not fast enough in the straights
to catch up with Larini. I’m in the middle of the grid
again for the second race which is a good position to score
points.”
Jörg MÜLLER
“I’m very happy with pole for Race 2 because it’s
clearly impossible to overtake on this circuit. If I get a
good start I’m quite sure I will finish in first position.”
RACE CLASSIFICATION - RACE 1
POS NO CL DRIVER NAT CAR TIME LAPS GAP KPH BEST
1 8 Alain MENU SUI Chevrolet Lacetti 34:07.853 13 107.70 2:09.050
2 6 Robert HUFF GBR Chevrolet Lacetti 34:08.690 13 0.837 107.65
2:08.829
3 7 Nicola LARINI ITA Chevrolet Lacetti 34:09.471 13 1.618
107.61 2:09.061
4 11 Gabriele TARQUINI ITA SEAT Leon 34:09.782 13 1.929 107.59
2:09.314
5 12 Yvan MULLER FRA SEAT Leon 34:13.271 13 5.418 107.41 2:09.526
6 20 Tom CORONEL NED SEAT Leon 34:13.943 13 6.090 107.38 2:09.280
7 1 Andy PRIAULX GBR BMW 320si 34:14.491 13 6.638 107.35 2:09.441
8 2 Jorg MULLER GER BMW 320si 34:14.823 13 6.970 107.33 2:09.506
9 3 Augusto FARFUS BRA BMW 320si 34:15.123 13 7.270 107.31
2:09.430
10 15 James THOMPSON GBR Alfa Romeo 156 34:19.935 13 12.082
107.06 2:10.631
11 26 I Stefano D'ASTE ITA BMW 320si 34:20.417 13 12.564 107.04
2:10.469
12 10 Michel JOURDAIN MEX SEAT Leon 34:20.749 13 12.896 107.02
2:10.479
13 23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS BEL SEAT Leon 34:21.013 13 13.160
107.01 2:10.288
14 9 Jordi GENE ESP SEAT Leon 34:21.828 13 13.975 106.97 2:10.248
15 18 Tiago MONTEIRO POR SEAT Leon 34:22.528 13 14.675 106.93
2:10.633
16 4 Alessandro ZANARDI ITA BMW 320si 34:22.896 13 15.043
106.91 2:09.622
17 5 Felix PORTEIRO ESP BMW 320si 34:32.172 13 24.319 106.43
2:11.978
18 22 I Maurizio CERESOLI ITA SEAT Leon 34:33.980 13 26.127
106.34 2:12.217
19 33 I Miguel FREITAS POR Alfa Romeo 156 34:34.410 13 26.557
106.32 2:11.924
20 30 I Luca RANGONI ITA BMW 320si 34:53.111 13 45.258 105.37
2:11.971
21 77 I Luis Pedro MAGALHAES POR SEAT Leon 34:59.130 13 51.277
105.06 2:15.346
NOT CLASSIFIED
16 Olivier TIELEMANS NED Alfa Romeo 156 20:27.588 7 D.N.F.
96.61 2:14.843
19 I Roberto COLCIAGO ITA SEAT Leon 7:26.270 2 D.N.F. 75.38
2:28.781
21 I Emmet O'BRIEN IRL SEAT Leon 2:25.604 1 D.N.F. 114.35
2:25.604
31 I Sergio HERNANDEZ ESP BMW 320si 2:28.318 1 D.N.F. 112.25
2:28.318
FASTEST LAP
6 Robert HUFF Chevrolet Lacetti 2:08.829 2 131.89kph 81.95mph
23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS SEAT Leon 2:10.288 11 130.41kph
81.03mph
ROUNDS 11 & 12 – PORTO, PORTUGAL RACE 2 REPORT
Weather: sunny, with a dry track. Crowd: 112,000 over the
weekend.
RACE 2: PRIAULX CLAIMS FIRST WIN
Andy Priaulx’s first win of the season has arrived.
The man from Guernsey started second on the grid, overtook
leader Jörg Müller on lap 5 and then got a superb
restart after a safety car period to claim victory. Müller
finished second ahead of Alain Menu and regained the championship
lead.
At the start Farfus overtook Menu for seventh but on the
subsequent straight the Swiss man reclaimed position. Lap
2 saw a second Chevrolet; that of Rob Huff, overtake Farfus.
Despite promoting himself to seventh by lap 11, Huff made
a mistake when trying to overtake Yvan Muller on lap 12 and
ended up in the tyres. He rejoined but finished out of the
points.
Huff’s team-mate Nicola Larini also made a storming
charge towards the front of the pack by overtaking Tarquini
on lap three, Muller on lap five and Coronel with a brilliant
manoeuvre at the Avenida Boavista chicane on the last lap.
A second podium of the day was not to be for the Italian however
as he crashed at turn 7 while braking on the dirt. Alain Menu
ensured Chevrolet was represented in the top three by overtaking
Coronel.
The field had to follow the safety car for four laps after
Miguel Freitas crashed at the chicane on lap 6. Priaulx zig-zagged
as late as he could at the restart before shooting away and
creating a substantial gap. There was some jostling for the
other point scoring positions and after the exit of Huff and
Larini, Coronel came home fourth followed by fellow SEAT driver
Yvan Muller.
Augusto Farfus classified sixth and Tarquini seventh. Independent
driver Pierre-Yves Corthals from Exagon Racing won the category
and managed to keep Michel Jourdain and James Thompson at
bay, finishing an impressive eighth to claim his first championship
point. His closest chaser, Stefano D’Aste, lost his
chance to encore his Race 1 victory when he had to pay a drive-through
penalty for jumping the start.
An incident on the last lap eliminated Jordi Gené
and Alessandro Zanardi; the Italian received a 10-place grid
penalty that remains suspended for the next two events.
Jorg Muller now leads the championship with 58 points ahead
of Priaulx and Farfus who are joint second with 56 points.
The championship will resume on July 28th and 29th at Anderstorp,
Sweden.
BULLET NEWS
O’BRIEN AND RANGONI DEMOTED
Emmet O’Brien and Luca Rangoni began Race 2 from the
back of the grid after being granted neutralisation of parc
fermé so the damage to their cars obtained in Race
1 could be fixed. Rangoni did a stirling job in Race 2 to
finish 12th overall and 2nd in the independent category.
THREE CARS MISSING FROM THE GRID
Sergio Hernández, Roberto Colciago and Olivier Tielemans
did not take part in the second race after the damage obtained
during incidents in Race 1 was not repaired in time.
THEY SAID, THEY SAID…
Andy PRIAULX
“It was a great race, and I have to thank Jörg
because if there was only one person you could safely go side
to side with, it was him. There was intense pressure all race,
every lap felt like it was the most important of your life
and Jörg and I were on the limit all the time.”
Jörg MÜLLER
“I’m happy I survived in such a difficult race.
I made a mistake by braking too late and too hard which left
a gap for Andy so there was no point in me trying to defend
it. I had the championship lead earlier in the season and
I don’t want to lose it this time!”
Alain MENU
“The conditions were very tricky because it
was slippery. After the start I tucked in behind Nicola (Larini)
and overtook some SEATs. Then we overtook Tom (Coronel) and
the next thing I know Nicola went straight on and handed me
third position.”
Tom CORONEL
“I’m happy because for three laps Larini was pushing
me and I was the only person able to keep a Chevrolet behind
for so long. I had a good race with good fights. You could
say I lost the podium but on the other side if someone had
told me I’d have a sixth and fourth this weekend I would
have kissed them!”
Pierre-Yves CORTHALS
“It has been a positive weekend for me. We had problems
with the car at the start of the weekend which meant I didn’t
do many laps at all. For the races things were much better.
I didn’t take any risks and drove carefully to avoid
the crashes.”
RACE CLASSIFICATION - RACE 2
POS NO CL DRIVER NAT CAR TIME LAPS GAP KPH BEST
1 1 Andy PRIAULX GBR BMW 320si 32:02.175 13 114.74 2:10.262
2 2 Jorg MULLER GER BMW 320si 32:04.232 13 2.057 114.61 2:09.875
3 8 Alain MENU SUI Chevrolet Lacetti 32:06.569 13 4.394 114.48
2:10.554
4 20 Tom CORONEL NED SEAT Leon 32:06.973 13 4.798 114.45 2:10.379
5 12 Yvan MULLER FRA SEAT Leon 32:08.363 13 6.188 114.37 2:10.874
6 3 Augusto FARFUS BRA BMW 320si 32:08.672 13 6.497 114.35
2:10.425
7 11 Gabriele TARQUINI ITA SEAT Leon 32:09.181 13 7.006 114.32
2:10.219
8 23 I Pierre-Yves CORTHALS BEL SEAT Leon 32:11.276 13 9.101
114.20 2:10.594
9 10 Michel JOURDAIN MEX SEAT Leon 32:15.527 13 13.352 113.95
2:11.254
10 15 James THOMPSON GBR Alfa Romeo 156 32:16.329 13 14.154
113.90 2:11.000
11 6 Robert HUFF GBR Chevrolet Lacetti 32:20.776 13 18.601
113.64 2:10.307
12 30 I Luca RANGONI ITA BMW 320si 32:21.805 13 19.630 113.58
2:11.240
13 18 Tiago MONTEIRO POR SEAT Leon 32:34.157 13 31.982 112.86
2:11.498
14 26 I Stefano D'ASTE ITA BMW 320si 32:35.231 13 33.056 112.80
2:09.907
15 4 Alessandro ZANARDI ITA BMW 320si 32:40.133 13 37.958
112.52 2:10.726
16 22 I Maurizio CERESOLI ITA SEAT Leon 32:46.693 13 44.518
112.14 2:11.837
17 77 I Luis Pedro MAGALHAES POR SEAT Leon 32:51.538 13 49.363
111.86 2:16.647
18 5 Felix PORTEIRO ESP BMW 320si 32:57.987 13 55.812 111.50
2:11.047
19 21 I Emmet O'BRIEN IRL SEAT Leon 33:48.247 13 1:46.072
108.74 2:11.963
20 7 Nicola LARINI ITA Chevrolet Lacetti 29:54.286 12 1 LAP
113.45 2:09.946
21 9 Jordi GENE ESP SEAT Leon 30:03.641 12 1 LAP 112.86 2:10.991
NOT CLASSIFIED
33 I Miguel FREITAS POR Alfa Romeo 156 11:15.473 5 D.N.F.
125.27 2:12.232
FASTEST LAP
2 Jorg MULLER BMW 320si 2:09.875 11 130.83kph 81.29mph
26 I Stefano D'ASTE BMW 320si 2:09.907 12 130.80kph 81.27mph
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